Murupara is a community we do lots of mahi in. I once heard a colleague say, “I thought we had visited every home [in Murupara] by now, but new referrals keep coming in.” Through our regular visits, we have developed strong relationships with the community and the local hauora, Te Ika Whenua Hauora.
Te Ika Whenua Hauora host incredible Hauora Day’s to connect Murupara residents with support services available to them. We have been invited to many of these Day’s and really value them to connect with whānau we have been working with for years, right through to whānau who haven’t heard about us.
Going to Murupara is always a cool reminder of the different ways of living throughout Aotearoa. It is the epitome of small town living with the ‘other side of town’ being a couple of streets away, and the hustling, bustling town centre consisting of a handful of shops, one of which being Four Square, the town’s sole supermarket.
Being part of the Hauora Day is a special experience, as though all of the organisations who are playing important roles in supporting this community are coming together to say; “We are all here to tautoko you, you have us to lean on if you need some extra awhi.”
My colleagues and I spoke with lots of whānau throughout the day, many of which we had already visited. Typically when I speak with whānau, it is to interview them nearing the end of our journey together, so I really enjoyed hearing whānau talk about our mahi in a conversational setting. Whānau shared the changes they have made in their day-to-day that are starting to make a difference: Blast ventilating, drying their washing outside, opening and closing their curtains, the way they are heating their whare. Others spoke of the repairs and maintenance we have been able to help with that has reduced draughts or kept heat in through fixing a broken window. It was insightful to hear about the smaller changes in their journey and the impact those changes are having.
Some whānau approached us with queries or concerns, there were delays with jobs being done, or the change they have made isn’t having the desired effect. This was beneficial too as we could have a kōrero about why these delays occur, or maybe rediscuss how to carry out a desired change. I found it nice being kanohi ki te kanohi for these interactions to better mend any miscommunication and explain our processes.
We also had conversations with whānau who we hadn’t started a journey with, some had heard of us through their whānau or neighbour, and some didn’t know what we did. These kōrero allowed us to share the awhi we could provide, and help them refer themselves for a visit from us.
It was an eye-opening day to better understand how we are perceived in this community and to put faces to names, for both them and us. Our team walked around the stalls and chatted with other organisations doing cool mahi, discussing how we could help one another out. I think being in person adds a deeper level of whakawhanaungatanga to these relationships as the conversation flows and we could slip into our natural selves more so than in a formalised email.
You could truly feel the sense of community within Murupara, everyone was welcoming of us ‘outsiders from the city,’ with Te Ika Whenua Hauora introducing us to organisations we didn’t know and starting the conversation about our potential synergies.
Rural communities, such as Murupara, can often be forgotten or looked past by the support of urban organisations, deemed, ‘too difficult to access.’ However, it is these communities who need our extra efforts most, as they lack access to resources and supplies themselves, leading to their housing and infrastructure deteriorating more easily.
Small, rural towns can quickly gain negative stereotypes that decrease enthusiasm to enter the area, Murupara is no exception to this situation. However, being so openly welcomed into this tight-knit community during the Hauora Day reminds me to challenge narratives that can be easily ingrained, yet difficult to shift.
I am grateful to have the opportunity to mahi with so many in Murupara, and to gain a genuine insight into this community’s daily lives. Thank you to Te Ika Whenua Hauora for welcoming us into the community with open arms.
